American Indian Tribes Tap Into Golf

Graphic shows states with Indian tribe-owned golf courses. (AP Graphic) (AP)

"Gamblers aren't necessarily golfers, but golfers are generally gamblers," Hoolehan said. "It's a good bet that when you bring in golf groups you'll get some of them to spend time in the other facilities."

Many tribes don't leave that to chance, offering cut-rate packages to lure golfers and encourage them to check out the casino, too. At Dacotah Ridge, for instance, a night in the hotel, breakfast and a round of golf can run as low as $100 in the summer; the 18-hole rate by itself is $80 with a cart.

"Golf generally is a lousy business. Most courses don't make any money," said Brad Klein, Golfweek magazine's architecture editor. "Golf is designed to sell something. Usually it's real estate; in this case it's casino rooms. The golf itself is a loss leader."

Tribes closely guard their financial reports, making it difficult to measure how golf affects their balance sheets.

Brian Pendleton, former Lower Sioux general manager, said the tribe felt an immediate lift in revenue after Dacotah Ridge opened six years ago. People came from farther away _ most players travel at least 90 miles _ and reserved rooms at the casino hotel. Gamblers who stay overnight typically spend an additional four hours at slot machines and card tables, he said.

But just any golf course won't do. Tribes have gone all out and hired revered designers like Tom Fazio, Jerry Pate, Pete Dye and Rees Jones whose involvement can earn courses instant acclaim.

"They're willing to spend a lot more money on construction. They tend to be rather fancy, a little higher end and better maintained than most market courses," Klein said.

The $8 million Dacotah Ridge course came from Jones, who has designed more than 100 courses, some of which have hosted PGA championships and U.S. Open events.

Bob Larsen, one of the first players off the tee when the course opened its season last week, said Dacotah Ridge stands out from other courses he's played.

"It's so wide open. There's no worries about getting hit by another hole or anything like that," Larsen said. "Some (courses) seem like they're so compact that they had to struggle to get the other nine holes in there. You need a helmet to play golf."

"This caliber is just far and above," Larsen added.

___

On the Net:

Dacotah Ridge Golf Club: http://www.dacotahridge.com/

Native American Cup: http://www.nativeamericancup.org

Golf Course Superintendents Association of America: http://www.gcsaa.org